Wisconsin — in top 10 for school threats — joins surge of incidents in Parkland's aftermath

At least 46 threats were reported in the 30 days after Parkland, a USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin analysis found.
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An increased police preasence was seen Monday, March 5, 2018, at Fond du Lac High School after a social media post mentioning a school shooting was discovered. Students were allowed to leave if parents chose to pick them up.(Photo: Doug Raflik/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin)Buy Photo

Students at Memorial High School in Eau Claire reportedly planned an attack on Facebook Messenger, exchanging photos of guns they could access.

In Racine County, a Union Grove High School student was accused of threatening to shoot up the school.

At Horace Mann Middle School in Wausau, a student wrote a threatening message as a prank.

Those were among at least 45 school threats reported in Wisconsin in just 30 days, starting the same day a gunman killed 17 people in a Feb. 14 school shooting in Parkland, Florida, according to a USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin analysis. And that count is probably low, because it includes only incidents covered in the news.

At least half of the 45 threats were deemed not credible upon investigation. One referenced a school that didn't exist. Still, some led to canceled events, lockdowns and student arrests. Three disrupted student plans to walk out of class on March 14 to join a nationwide protest of gun violence, driven by students fed up with school shootings.

Wisconsin, already considered one of the top 10 states in school threats, appears to have joined a surge in such incidents across the country in Parkland's aftermath.

This trend is the result of a "perfect storm" of factors, said Amy Klinger, director of programs for the Educator's School Safety Network. They include the copycat effect, the influence of social media and increased reporting. Student advocacy has also kept the issue on people's minds, she said, which is a positive — but has drawbacks.

"It also creates more attention to threats and more opportunities for people to create chaos and fear," she said.

Police, school officials and other experts say these threats use up time and resources, even if they turn out to be unfounded. They also can stir up anxiety among students and their families, making them wary of coming to school.

"I think it brings the reality or the possibility of it really happening more to the forefront, and it can cause a lot of anxiety," said Stephanie Hamann, a child and family therapist with Children's Hospital of Wisconsin in Wausau.

Wisconsin isn't alone

According to the Educator's School Safety Network, a group that offers school safety training and resources to educators, an average of 59.4 threats and incidents of violence were reported nationwide per school day in the 30 days after Parkland. That's up from an average of 13.2 in the prior 108 days of the current school year.

The threats reached a peak on Feb. 23, when the organization tallied 107 in just one day.

In Wisconsin, the organization reported 27 threats in that time frame — 18 fewer than the number documented by USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin. Researchers tallied media reports of threats, but the study notes that the data are incomplete, as incidents may have been missed or not reported.

By comparison, the educator's network tracked 33 in Wisconsin for the entire fall of 2017 and 68 for the 2016-2017 school year.

The safety network also identified Wisconsin as one of 10 states of concern in its mid-year report for the 2017-2018 school year, which looked at data before Parkland. These states are experiencing disproportionately higher rates of threats and incidents, even when accounting for the state's population, Klinger said. These 10 states alone accounted for 48 percent of threats and incidents nationwide.

The report also indicated that Wisconsin experienced a 13.8 percent uptick in threats from fall 2016 to fall 2017. However, Wisconsin's shift wasn't as dramatic as that of Washington or California, which saw increases of 91 percent and 63 percent, respectively. Illinois experienced a 44 percent increase in threats.

Amanda Klinger, the safety network's director of operations and Amy Klinger's daughter, said the contagion from Parkland remains strong, with an "astonishing" number of ongoing threats that cause trouble no matter whether they are real or false.

The good news, Amanda Klinger believes, is that Parkland showed students that it's not tattling to tell an adult if they're concerned about something.

Green Bay Police Lt. Jeff Brester said the department largely sees anonymous threats, with people saying they saw something on the cellphone messaging app Snapchat. In that case, he said, it becomes difficult to track the threat and who sent it. Snapchat messages disappear after they're viewed by the recipient.

"It creates a lot of work for us," he said.

Threats require resources to investigate, Brester said, and even something minor will tie up at least two officers for hours. Still, the department would rather respond to what turns out to be a prank than miss the chance to thwart real danger, he said.

The effects extend beyond law enforcement. Pewaukee School District superintendent Mike Cady said closing a school because of a threat has practical implications, including lost learning time and parents being unable to go to work. The district shuttered its high school for a day last month in response to a social media threat that led to a student's arrest.

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Armed police patrol a street near Kiel High School following reports of shots fired, Friday, March 23, 2018, in KIel, Wis. School was cancelled after shots were heard by a staff member at the high school before classes started at Kiel. Gary C. Klein/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin

Armed police patrol backyards near a street at Kiel High School following reports of shots fired, Friday, March 23, 2018, in Kiel, Wis. Kiel High School cancelled classes after shots were heard by a staff member at the high school before classes started at Kiel. Gary C. Klein/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin

Armed police patrol a street near Kiel High School following reports of shots fired, Friday, March 23, 2018, in KIel, Wis. School was cancelled after shots were heard by a staff member at the high school before classes started at Kiel. Gary C. Klein/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin

Armed police patrol backyards near a street at Kiel High School following reports of shots fired, Friday, March 23, 2018, in Kiel, Wis. Kiel High School cancelled classes after shots were heard by a staff member at the high school before classes started at Kiel. Gary C. Klein/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin

Armed police patrol a street near Kiel High School following reports of shots fired, Friday, March 23, 2018, in KIel, Wis. School was cancelled after shots were heard by a staff member at the high school before classes started at Kiel. Gary C. Klein/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin

Armed police patrol a street near Kiel High School following reports of shots fired, Friday, March 23, 2018, in KIel, Wis. School was cancelled after shots were heard by a staff member at the high school before classes started at Kiel. Gary C. Klein/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin

The scene near Kiel High School, Friday, March 23, 2018, in KIel, Wis. Kiel High School cancelled classes after shots were heard by a staff member at the high school before classes started at Kiel. Gary C. Klein/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin

Armed police patrol a street near Kiel High School following reports of shots fired, Friday, March 23, 2018, in KIel, Wis. School was cancelled after shots were heard by a staff member at the high school before classes started at Kiel. Gary C. Klein/USA TODAY NETWORK-

The scene near Kiel High School, Friday, March 23, 2018, in KIel, Wis. Kiel High School cancelled classes after shots were heard by a staff member at the high school before classes started at Kiel. Gary C. Klein/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin

Armed officers group on a street near Kiel High School, Friday, March 23, 2018, in KIel, Wis. Kiel High School cancelled classes after shots were heard by a staff member at the high school before classes started at Kiel. Gary C. Klein/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin

A Wisconsin State Trooper guards a blocked street near Kiel High School, Friday, March 23, 2018, in KIel, Wis. Kiel High School cancelled classes after shots were heard by a staff member at the high school before classes started at Kiel. Gary C. Klein/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin

Armed officers group on a street near Kiel High School, Friday, March 23, 2018, in KIel, Wis. Kiel High School cancelled classes after shots were heard by a staff member at the high school before classes started at Kiel. Gary C. Klein/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin

Kiel Superintendant Brad Ebert speaks during a late morning press conference at Kiel City Hall, Friday, March 23, 2018, in KIel, Wis. Kiel High School cancelled classes after shots were heard by a staff member at the high school before classes started at Kiel. At left is Police Chief Dave Funkhouser. Gary C. Klein/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin

Kiel Police Chief Dave Funkhouser speaks to the media during a late morning press conference at Kiel city hall, Friday, March 23, 2018, in KIel, Wis. Kiel High School cancelled classes after shots were heard by a staff member at the high school before classes started at Kiel. Gary C. Klein/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin

Armed police patrol backyards near a street at Kiel High School following reports of shots fired, Friday, March 23, 2018, in Kiel, Wis. Kiel High School cancelled classes after shots were heard by a staff member at the high school before classes started at Kiel. Gary C. Klein/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin

An armed state trooper surveys a yard near Kiel High School, Friday, March 23, 2018, in KIel, Wis. Kiel High School cancelled classes after shots were heard by a staff member at the high school before classes started at Kiel. Gary C. Klein/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin

Kiel Emergency Information Officer Kevin Voland speaks at a late morning press conference at Kiel City Hall, Friday, March 23, 2018, in KIel, Wis. Kiel High School cancelled classes after shots were heard by a staff member at the high school before classes started at Kiel. Gary C. Klein/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin

Armed police gather on a street near Kiel High School following reports of shots fired, Friday, March 23, 2018, in KIel, Wis. School was cancelled after shots were heard by a staff member at the high school before classes started at Kiel. Gary C. Klein/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin

Kiel Schools Superintendent Brad Ebert speaks to the media during an early morning press conference a few blocks away from Kiel High School, Friday, March 23, 2018, in KIel, Wis. School was cancelled after shots were heard by a staff member at the high school before classes started at the Kiel. Gary C. Klein/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin

An overall of the press conference at Kiel City Hall, Friday, March 23, 2018, in Kiel, Wis. School was cancelled after shots were heard by a staff member at the high school before classes started at the High School. Gary C. Klein/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin

Signs of a threat in the making

Several factors can contribute to a copycat threat made by a student, said Hamann, the child and family therapist. The student might be angry, seeking attention, trying to avoid school or responding to bullying. The behavior may or may not be tied to mental illness.

Parents and teachers should follow up on signs, from depression to an increased interest in guns, instead of writing it off as something that won't happen, Hamann said. Young people also need relationships with adults, who can help them build resilience.

"Kids will only get help if somebody reaches out to them," she said.

Amy Klinger of the Educator's School Safety Network emphasized the need for school staff to receive training that shows them how to prevent threats and violence, and how to respond when an incident occurs.

"What about the people in the school who are the first responders?" she said. "What kind of training do they need? What kind of resources do they need?"

Cady, the Pewaukee superintendent, believes students can play a role in keeping schools safe. They have the power to help make their school environments positive, he said, and should consider whether students are inclusive and kind to each other.

"Student leadership I think is a big piece of this to have an environment where everybody feels valued," he said.

Overall, said Eau Claire School District Superintendent Mary Ann Hardebeck, it comes down to people being aware of their surroundings and what's going on with their classmates, students or children.

“As a community, we’re in this together," she said.

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Armed police patrol a street near Kiel High School following reports of shots fired, Friday, March 23, 2018, in KIel, Wis. School was cancelled after shots were heard by a staff member at the high school before classes started at Kiel.(Photo: Gary C. Klein/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin)